


Gentlemen Prefer Redheads

by Arwen_Aleri



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Bonding Experience, Drag Queens, Established Relationship, Everything is consensual, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Just these two having fun together, M/M, Makeover, Special appearance by Fat Nuggets, This is all in good fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:33:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arwen_Aleri/pseuds/Arwen_Aleri
Summary: Alastor wants to understand what drag is all about. Angel Dust is more than happy to help with that.
Relationships: Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 195





	1. Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> Hazbin Hotel and its characters belong to VivziePop.

The first time he saw Angel Dust in drag, Alastor wasn’t ready for it. 

Sure, he was familiar with female impersonators since they were around when he was alive, and he accepted that this was Angel’s hobby...but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his boyfriend dressed as this alternate persona of his.

“Wow, Angel! You look amazing!” Charlie squealed as Angel sashayed his way into the hotel lobby.

“Thanks, toots.” Angel blew her a kiss and did an overly-exaggerated double take as he pretended to just notice Alastor standing there. “Hey, hot stuff.” He seductively draped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder. “How’s about you and me have a little fun tonight after my show?”

“I have _no_ idea what you are insinuating, sir!” Alastor’s reply was unusually staticky, making Charlie collapse into giggles.

“Never thought we’d see the Radio Demon get flustered,” Vaggie smirked.

“I am _not_ flustered! I am merely unaccustomed to seeing Angel Dust in such attire!”

“Aw, you know ya like it.” Angel pressed a kiss onto his boyfriend’s cheek and laughed when his face flared up. “Now before I go,” Angel deposited Fat Nuggets into Charlie’s arms. “You get to watch him while I’m out.”

“Aye-aye, Captain.” She saluted with a serious expression but then grinned down at the piglet. “We’re going to have so much fun!” 

“Be a good boy for your Auntie Charlie, okay?” Angel kissed the top of Fat Nuggets’s head, making him oink happily in reply. Charlie set him down and the two of them ran off to go play somewhere with Vaggie following them.

Alastor wanted to say something else, but Angel had already left for...wherever he was headed that night. The only thing lingering in the lobby with him was the scent of the spider demon’s favorite perfume.

O

A week later Alastor still wasn’t able to get the image of Angel in drag out of his mind. Not that it bothered him much; Angel Dust certainly wasn’t _unattractive_ dressed that way, far from it. No, what bothered him was that the experience of seeing it in person had left him with so many questions. What made drag so appealing for him? Just how much work went into crafting that image? And, perhaps the biggest question of all, how in the Nine Circles was he able to stand being seen like that in public?

Alastor considered himself a knowledgeable demon, yet he knew nothing about this. That did not sit well with him at all. Which was exactly why he had decided to swallow his pride and just ask the spider demon directly.

“Okay, okay!” Angel’s irritated look softened into a smile when he saw who had been knocking on his hotel room door. “Thought ya were Charlie here to nag me ‘bout somethin’. Come on in.”

Angel’s room had the same layout as all of the other rooms in the hotel, but it was unmistakably his. The walk-in closet was stuffed with all kinds of clothing from dresses and costumes to more casual items, and Alastor was sure he was only looking at a fraction of what was in there. Fat Nuggets had made himself comfy on a pillow that was on Angel’s neatly-made bed, and situated in the space next to the door leading to the bathroom was Angel’s vanity. Alastor primly sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure to leave plenty of space between him and the piglet, while Angel sat between the two of them.

“So what’s on your mind? ‘S not like you to show up here for no reason.” 

“Well, my good fellow, I could start by saying that you made quite the impression wearing your...disguise the other night.”

“Yeah, I have that effect on people,” Angel smirked, knowing exactly what Alastor was referring to. “So what you’re saying is ya wanna see me like that more often?”

“No, no, no! Once in a while is _quite_ enough, thank you!” Alastor blushed a little and Angel snickered. “What I am trying to convey to you is that I would like to know more about this hobby that you seem to enjoy so much.”

“Ya serious?” Angel’s surprised tone made Alastor grimace. The lack of response prompted Angel to try again with a more specific question. “You’re seriously curious about drag?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.” 

Angel’s eyebrows shot up at that reply. The Radio Demon’s signature smile was still there, but his usual dramatic flair was gone. His answer was calm and straightforward. That alone was enough for Angel to believe him.

“Have I said something wrong, my dear?”

“No! Just...never expected you to be interested.”

“To be frank, I never have been until now. But can’t one express interest in their partner’s hobbies?”

“Ya got me there. What do you wanna know?”

“Why do you do drag?”

Angel shrugged. “‘Cause it’s fun. And I can be whoever I want for a few hours.”

“Seems to be quite a bit of work, if you ask me.”

“Babe, you have no idea,” Angel laughed, but then he took another look at the demon sitting across from him. “Y’know, if you really wanna understand what goes into it...I could dress you up.”

Alastor bristled. “And _why_ would I allow you to do _that_?” There was that static again.

“Hey, I don’t mean anything bad by it! I’m just thinkin’ it’d help ya understand better, is all.”

“I am positive that’s not your only motive.”

“All right, Smiles, ya caught me,” Angel rolled his eyes but he was smiling. “It’d help ya understand it better, and I’d love to see how you look in drag. Be fun to see ya look different for once.”

Alastor let that sink in. It was true that there were things best learned by doing them, so Angel’s reasoning that doing drag could be the best way for him to understand it made sense. And Angel clearly saw potential in him; He would have bluntly said otherwise if he didn’t think Alastor could pull this off. 

“I would be willing to give it a try.”

“ _Yes!_ ” Angel exclaimed. “Oh my God, this is gonna be great.” 

“I do hope you won’t parade me around in front of the others while I’m dressed like that.”

“Babe, we don’t have to show anyone unless ya want to. We can keep it between you and me if it’d make you more comfortable. And you never have to do it again if it turns out you’re not into it.” Angel understood that Alastor had his limits. He had made it clear when they started dating that they wouldn’t do anything Alastor wasn’t okay with. Angel hadn’t pushed it when Alastor turned down his “offer” when they first met, and he wasn’t going to start pushing anything on him now. 

“That seems fair enough.” Alastor’s shock at the suggestion had worn off and he was coming around to the idea as he thought about it more. He would only do this once, he told himself, just long enough to satisfy his curiosity, and that would be it. 

Angel grabbed a sketchbook and pen from his nightstand. “Okay, before we do anything else, there’s a couple things you gotta understand about drag.”

“And they would be?”

“One, ya gotta make it you. You might be thinkin’ you hafta do a look similar to mine to do drag the right way, but ya don’t. Ya ain’t doin’ it wrong if you don’t look like me.”

“I suppose I understand…” This was one of those times when Alastor struggled to decipher Angel’s statements. “So I’ll be able to incorporate my own tastes in clothing and such?”

“Yup, you got it. Look how ya want, wear what ya want.”

Alastor was relieved. He kept that to himself, of course, but knowing he had a say in how he’d look in the end made him feel better. “And what is the second thing?”

“Oh yeah. Two, there’s nothin’ realistic about drag. So we ain’t tryin’ to make you look like a real woman here.”

“Perhaps one can think of this as an actor playing a role?”

“Shit, never thought of it like that! That’s a great way to put it.” He flipped to a blank page. “So what kind of outfit d’ya want? Somethin’ with pants or a skirt? A dress?” 

Alastor pondered this. A skirt seemed to make more sense for this than pants did, a dress even more so. “Would an evening gown be suitable?”

“Hell yeah!” Angel beamed. Alastor seemed more willing to try new things than he thought. “I’m guessing you’ll wanna keep it classy?”

“If it’s not too restrictive of me, I’d prefer nothing revealing or impractical to wear.”

“Nah, you’re good. I can find somethin’ like that for ya.”

“Among your own clothing? I sincerely doubt it.”

“Hey, I got more variety in there than ya think. Been doin’ drag for longer than you’ve known me.” Angel finished writing his notes in the sketchbook and looked at Alastor. “You sure ya wanna do this? Drag’s pretty overwhelming if you ain’t used to doin’ it.” 

“No doubt of it, my dear,” Alastor chuckled. “But I think it could make for a very entertaining experience nonetheless. So yes, I am sure.”

“Famous last words, eh?” Angel joked. He got up from the couch and stretched. “I’ll start goin’ through clothes and shit later.”

“Oh, we aren’t doing this now?”

“I wish. Got a photoshoot today and my call’s in an hour. And I wanna plan your look first.” Angel grinned. “Because believe it or not, I want you to actually look good.”

“I’ll show myself out, then.” 

“Hey, uh, Al?” The deer demon smoothly pivoted on his heel to face Angel. “Thanks for, y’know...humorin’ me. Gotta say, I’m pretty touched you decided to try this.”

Alastor took one of Angel’s hands in one of his own and kissed it. “I’m sure sharing this experience with you will be a pleasure, my dear.”

O

“Okay, what are you plotting, Angel?” Vaggie’s eyes narrowed the next morning at breakfast. Meal times were the only opportunities at the hotel to see everyone at once, though Charlie was currently brainstorming more activities for the guests to do during the day. The hotel’s reputation was now in much better standing than it had been immediately following the 666 News debacle. It turned out that there were, in fact, some sinners who were interested in the possibility of being redeemed. It still remained to be seen if anyone could actually achieve redemption by following the hotel’s rehabilitation program, but that hadn’t stopped the guests they now had from paying for the chance to try. 

“ _Plotting?!_ ” Angel cackled. “Babe, I ain’t plottin’ nothin’!”

“But you’ve been giving Alastor that _look_ since yesterday.” The look in question was a smile and a wink that absolutely gave the impression that Angel Dust was up to something. Again.

“Vaggie, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Charlie considered what she just said and looked at Alastor. “Is it something we need to worry about, Al?”

“Not at all, my dear! Just a little joke we share, you could say.”

“See? Everything’s fine.” She put a comforting hand on Vaggie’s shoulder, which appeared to help reassure her. “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you guys! We’re having our own drag show next weekend!...Okay, it’s more of a drag _party_ , but a show’s going to be part of it, and anyone who comes can perform if they want to! And, um, I was kind of hoping you could host it, Angel?”

“Sure, why not?” He shrugged. “I think I could talk a few of my drag buddies from the bar into joinin’ me, too.” 

“Won’t we have to pay you?” Vaggie asked and Charlie suddenly looked crestfallen.

“Nah, the bar pays us a pretty penny, so we can handle an unpaid gig.”

“Yay! You’re the best!” Charlie ran over to his spot at their table and engulfed him in a hug. 

“We gonna get a performance from ya too, toots? Since you like singin’ an’ all that?”

“I was thinking about it!” She started to ramble about what she had in mind for both a potential act and the party itself, with Angel interjecting a few times with his input. Alastor chose to focus on that morning’s newspaper instead, letting their chatter serve as rather pleasant background noise as he read.

“You should think about goin’ to the party dressed up, babe.”

Alastor’s head shot up and he stared at Angel in disbelief. Luckily they were the only ones still in the dining room by then. “My dear...I thought we established that we wouldn’t show this to anyone else.”

“We did, but I’m just sayin’ ya might change your mind once you see it all put together.”

“True…” 

“And the party might be the least judgmental place for you to wear it. I’ll be there, I won’t let anyone give ya crap about it, and I know Charlie won’t either.” 

As much as he wanted to avoid any and all potential humiliation, Alastor knew Angel was right. He’d never tried this before, so of course it was possible his feelings towards it could change. 

“I’ll have to think it over.”

“No worries. We’ll see how ya feel the night of.”


	2. Trying New Things

The day of the party arrived much sooner than Alastor had expected. Charlie and Vaggie had succeeded in getting a runway set up in the hotel’s ballroom, which Niffty was currently decorating, and now everyone planning to perform or just dress up was getting ready. As he waited for Angel to answer his door at the time they’d agreed for him to come over, Alastor was still torn between whether or not he wanted anyone other than his boyfriend to see him in drag.

“If you’re Al, it’s open!” Alastor ventured inside to see Angel putting on metallic hot pink lipstick with one set of hands and touching up his favorite blonde wig with the other. His outfit this time was a black long-sleeve leotard covered in pink rhinestones that put his legs on prominent display. Alastor was puzzled to also see that Angel’s figure seemed more stereotypically feminine as well. Angel’s face lit up when he saw Alastor’s reflection in his vanity mirror. 

“Been lookin' forward to this all week!” Angel put a piece of folded-up beige fabric in Alastor’s hand. “Go strip and put these on.”

Alastor did as he had been instructed to as soon as he was in the privacy of Angel’s bathroom. He discovered that the fabric was a pair of shorts that appeared to have some kind of padding sewn into them at the hips and backside. They fit snugly but the fabric was soft and stretchy enough to still be comfortable. As perplexed as he was as to why he needed these, he figured that everything Angel would do with him would make sense later. Angel was holding another beige and padded item when Alastor came back out.

“Okay, now hold your arms out in front of ya.” Angel maneuvered the contraption over his arms, stretched it across his chest, and closed it up somehow behind him. He examined how everything looked from the front and nodded. “Yeah, that looks good.” Angel smirked. “Ya figure it out yet? What these are for?”

Alastor looked down at the mystery garments, then at Angel’s body, and the realization hit. “ _Oh._ ”

“Yeah, we need to give ya some padding to make it look like ya got tits and an ass. I thought about puttin’ ya in a waist cincher too, but I think this is enough.” Angel went into his closet. “So I kinda forgot I had this dress? I’ve never worn it ‘cause I’m too tall for it, but I know it’ll be the right length for ya since you’re shorter than me. And I ain’t puttin’ ya in stilettos.”

Alastor’s eyes widened when he finally saw it. The dark red sleeveless evening gown had the high neck and floor-length skirt that Alastor had secretly hoped for, and he realized it was in the same fitted silhouette worn on screen by every film actress in his day. The gown was covered in countless rows of tiny sequins sewn vertically along the entire length of it, similar to the pinstripes on his coat. It was nothing like what he’d been afraid Angel would put him in, and exactly the kind of thing he would have chosen for himself.

It was perfect.

Angel laughed when he saw Alastor’s awestruck expression. “Don’t just stare at it, babe! Try it on!”

“Are you sure it’ll fit over…?” He gestured to the padding.

“It ain’t gonna fit the way it should without it.”

“Point taken.”

Alastor snapped his fingers and the dress reappeared on his body. He looked himself over in the full-length mirror on the back of Angel’s door. The dress shimmered with his every movement; the padding really did help the dress fit correctly and, to his amusement, make it look like he had a woman’s figure. 

“You’re turnin’ into one classy dame! Ya like it?”

For the first time that night, Alastor’s smile was genuine. “I do, actually.”

“Great. Now for the fun part.” Angel helped him put a long black satin bathrobe on over the gown. “Let’s get ya dolled up.”

This was the part that Alastor had some apprehension about. He knew that he’d be able to take it all off later and that Angel wouldn’t dare make him look ridiculous, but the mischievous grin on Angel’s face was rather unsettling. Still, Alastor sat down on the plush bench in front of Angel’s vanity, eyeing the frankly intimidating amount of makeup arranged on top of it. This was a lot more than the simple eye makeup he knew Angel wore every day.

Angel began brushing Alastor’s hair straight back and pinning it down so that it lay flat against his head. He then stretched what looked like a short tube of netting over Alastor’s head before pulling it up towards his hairline. Once it was in the spot he wanted it to be, Angel pinned the top closed around his antlers. Alastor raised an eyebrow. His head looked smaller with his hair pressed down.

“We gotta get your hair outta the way before startin’ your face. And the wig cap will make wearin’ the wig easier. Now get comfy, this is gonna take a while.” Angel picked up a glue stick, which seemed like an odd thing to have on a vanity, and sat down next to him. “You want me to explain what I’m doin’ as I go?”

“If you wouldn’t mind?”

“Sure. First thing I’m doin’ is gluin’ your brows down so I can put makeup on top of them.” Alastor lost count of how many coats of glue Angel put on his eyebrows before using a hairdryer to help them dry. Once Angel was satisfied with them, he picked up one of his many bottles and pumped some of the product onto his fingertips. “So this is face primer. It’ll moisturize and smooth out your skin, and help the makeup stay on longer.” He gently rubbed the lightly-scented cream into Alastor’s face and neck until it was absorbed, while gathering what he wanted to use next. 

“Okay, now we can start puttin’ the makeup on. We got light gray for your foundation color, darker gray for contouring, and white for highlighting. It’ll look like I’m usin’ too much, but I’m gonna blend it all together.” Angel covered Alastor’s face and the top of his neck in the light gray cream makeup with a brush. The darker gray went on with light, careful brush strokes on his cheeks, sides of his nose and jawline, and Angel used a very pink sponge to blend the two colors together. It felt strange but it wasn’t uncomfortable, Alastor decided. Just different.

“You certainly weren’t joking about this taking a while,” he remarked as Angel put the white on his cheekbones and the other high points of his face and blended with the sponge some more.

“Yeah, gettin’ into drag is a process.”

“I am absolutely starting to see why that is now, my dear. Might I ask how you learned to do all of this?”

“Molls taught me a few things a while back. And I taught myself the rest. Took practice, but it was worth it.” He picked up a small circular container and a brush with flat bristles cut at an angle. “Now I’m gonna draw your brows on.”

“Ah, so that’s why you covered them up. To exaggerate them.” Alastor’s eyes followed the brush as Angel painstakingly drew them on in quick, short brush strokes. 

“These are gonna be super arched, thin brows. I want you to look like you’re judgin’ everyone else for not bein’ as pretty as you,” Angel winked and Alastor’s smile turned bashful. When they finally looked how he wanted them to, Angel dusted powder all over Alastor’s face with a large fluffy brush.

“So what’s next?” Alastor asked. This entire process was fascinating.

“Next is eyes. Eyes and lips are the two parts of your face that ya can really go all out with.” Angel hadn’t bothered with putting the gray on Alastor’s eyelids. He loved their dark red color and knew he’d be able to make it part of the look somehow. “Close your eyes?”

Alastor felt a smaller fluffy brush tap on his eyelids a few times. The sensation would pause for a few seconds, and then he’d feel it again in the same spot. He felt Angel swipe the brush back and forth underneath and then across his brow bone, and in the inner and outer corners of his eyes. A fine-tipped brush applied what felt like a liquid along the edge of his eyelids, and then it felt like Angel was coloring something in.

“Don’t open yet! The eyeliner needs to dry, and I still hafta glue the fake eyelashes on.” A few minutes later Angel delicately placed them on the edge of Alastor’s eyelids. “Open _real_ slowly...blink a couple times?...Yup, those ain’t goin’ nowhere.” The next thing he picked up was a small tube. “Okay, fair warning: This stuff goes right on your eyelashes. And I’m gonna put eyeliner on your lower eyelash line. This is gonna be hard to do, but try to _not_ flinch.” 

Angel took a deep breath and, to his shock, Alastor did not move at all as he applied two coats of mascara and lined his bottom eyelashes. He’d never met anyone who had been able to do that before; Even Cherri Bomb had flinched the first time he tried putting eye makeup on her. Then again, Alastor tended to freeze in place when he got nervous, so maybe that was what was happening. “We’re done with that now. You okay?”

“I believe so.” Alastor quietly exhaled. “That sensation was new.”

“Hey, you’re experiencing a ton of new things right now, but you’re doin’ great.” Angel smiled gently. “And you look amazing already, babe. I can’t wait for ya to see the whole thing.” 

“I’m looking forward to seeing it as well,” Alastor returned the smile. It was softer than the one most people saw, reserved for those rare few he honestly enjoyed spending time with. But the spider demon was more than that to him: Angel Dust was the only demon in Hell that Alastor trusted enough to be intimate with. He realized that by letting Angel dress him up like this, Alastor was allowing himself to experience another form of intimacy with him. And that was okay. 

“Ready for the lips?”

“I am.”

Angel picked up one of his many tubes of lipstick and a pencil. “Men have thinner lips than women, so I’m gonna overdraw yours to make ‘em look plumper.” Angel drew an outline with lip liner that was very close in color to the lipstick he wanted to use. They were only slightly fuller than his real lips, and Angel knew Alastor would look good with them. “You got any ideas for your drag name?” 

Alastor hadn’t even thought of that. He had overheard Angel giving Charlie the stage names of his friends who had agreed to perform at the party, so he tried to improvise one based on the ones he remembered. “Erm...Cajun Spice?”

Angel burst out laughing. “Not the best name, but ya got the right idea. Maybe choose a spice and make it part of the name somehow? It can even be a pun if ya want. Open your mouth up a little?” Alastor complied, and Angel spread a coat of the lipstick onto his awaiting lips. “Perfect. Just hafta put the wig on.”

Alastor resisted every urge he had to look in the mirror when Angel got up to get the wig, but he didn’t have to wait long for him to come back. Angel used all four of his hands to gingerly place the wig on Alastor’s head. He brushed another liquid onto Alastor’s temples and pressed on the wig’s hairline in those spots, securing it in place.

“And we’re done! Check yourself out!”

Alastor felt his stomach drop when he finally saw himself. His face looked elongated and softer, his eyes seemed bigger, and his lips were, dare he say it, _pouty_. Smokey eyeshadow and big eyeliner wings surrounded red glitter on his eyelids, the thin dramatic eyebrows gave his face a haughty expression which he loved, and his lips were a dark berry red. All of that was framed by a shoulder-length side-parted dark burgundy wig that was styled into big, soft loose curls. The bangs and the top section of the wig were teased high enough to completely hide Alastor’s antlers. He still looked like himself, but there were enough differences to make other demons stop and wonder if it really was The Radio Demon that they saw. 

“You’re speechless.” Angel’s concerned tone caught Alastor’s attention.

“Please don’t worry, my dear. I’m simply taking in the sight of it all. And I truly do like how this looks! It’s much more elegant than I was expecting it to be!”

“Aw shucks, Smiles. You’re makin’ me blush!” As far as Angel was concerned, that was a compliment. His phone went off and his eyes widened when he looked at it. “ _Shit_ , I’ve got ten minutes ‘til I’m supposed to be downstairs. Good thing all that’s left for ya to put on is accessories.” 

A pair of long black gloves with pointy red nails, three rhinestone bracelets stacked on each wrist, a black velvet belt with a rhinestone-encrusted buckle encircling his waist, and a black ostrich feather shrug completed Alastor’s glamorous old Hollywood look. Angel kept his promise that Alastor wouldn’t wear stilettos, opting for a pair of simple dark red pumps with sturdy heels that were the same height as the ones on his usual shoes. That was when Angel finally let Alastor see the full transformation. 

“Oh, my…” Alastor’s voice trailed off, and his expression shifted from shock to delight. “I look simply _enchanting!_ ” 

“See? Told ya!” Angel exclaimed. “Ain’t nothing like seeing it all for the first time, huh?”

“Couldn’t agree more, my dear! And I think I’ve come up with a better name.”

“Yeah? Whatcha thinkin’?”

“Dasha Cayenne. As in a dash of cayenne pepper.” Alastor struck a pose and playfully winked at him. 

“Look at you, bein’ all confident! That’s a perfect name. And I know this was touchy for you before...but have ya thought any more about the party?” 

Alastor didn’t say anything for what, to Angel, felt like a long time. He had been so mesmerized by everything that he’d forgotten about the conflicting feelings running rampant in his mind. This was supposed to be something he tried privately, as he had assumed that drag would hinder his confidence, but now that he saw it all together and liked what he saw...

“I think I’ll try wearing this out.” 

“You want to?”

“Yes. I must admit, there _is_ something appealing about the idea of being seen dressed like this. I feel confident, but it’s a different sort of confidence than I typically feel.”

“You feel beautiful?” Angel asked and smiled when Alastor nodded. “That’s how ya _should_ feel in drag. And nothin’ wrong with wantin’ to show yourself off if ya feel good about yourself.” Angel zipped up a pair of boots that were a shinier version of the ones he usually wore and gave his wig one last fluff. “You ready for this?”

“As I’ll ever be, my dear.”

“Let’s go wow ‘em, babe.”

O

Charlie was in the hotel lobby welcoming everyone to the party. Her drag king costume was a pair of black jeans tucked into black combat boots, and a black tank top underneath a metallic purple biker jacket. Her hair was tucked into a blonde wig she’d styled to resemble her dad’s hair, and she had successfully contoured her face to appear a little more masculine. Vaggie hadn’t been as extensive, but she had borrowed a classic tuxedo with a sequin tailcoat from Charlie, who was trying very hard to avoid getting distracted by her girlfriend.

“Looks like everyone’s having fun so far,” Charlie said after they both took a peek into the ballroom. “Hey, have either of you seen Al? I haven’t seen him all day.”

“Why should I give a shit?” Husk opened yet another bottle.

“He’s probably in his room or something.” Vaggie sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of Alastor’s whereabouts. She still didn’t trust him and was on her guard at all times when he was around, and especially when he wasn’t. 

“Hey, bitches! Ya know you can’t start without us!” 

“Well, we found Angel,” Vaggie rolled her eyes. They widened in shock when she realized who the demon descending the stairs with him was. “ _Holy shit._ ”

The sound of a spit take erupted from behind the bar. “What the _fuck?!_ ” Husk yelled.

“You look _so pretty_ , Al!” 

“I know I do,” Alastor smirked at Charlie and gave his wig a fluff. “After all, this hotel has mirrors!” 

“ _How?!_ ” Vaggie looked like she refused to believe what she was seeing was real.

“Oh, my dear!” Alastor laughed heartily at Vaggie’s incredulous tone. “A lady never shares her beauty secrets!”

“I am _not_ drunk enough for this,” Husk grumbled and sat down on the floor behind the bar as the others entered the now lavishly-decorated ballroom.

O

The drag show couldn’t have gone any better. Angel had kicked things off with one of his routines and kept the audience excited for the whole show. His fellow bar performers were just as impressive as he was, and the hotel guests were having a good time both performing on stage and cheering on every single act in the audience. Even Charlie performed a routine which she had dedicated to Vaggie, during which she jumped into the audience to dance with her. Watching the show helped Alastor understand that drag was an art form. It was all about creating a persona that was an extension of you, just as Angel had said, and using it to entertain an audience. It didn’t matter who you were underneath it all.

This gave Alastor an idea.

He explained to Angel what he wanted to do in private during the intermission. The song he had chosen was a modern one he’d become rather fond of, by an artist from Vaggie’s lifetime who had managed to capture the feel of music from his own. Angel gave him a quick rundown of everything he needed to know to prepare. Now he was standing backstage as Angel welcomed everyone back.

“I can’t wait for ya to meet our next queen. I personally put her in drag for the first time tonight, she looks great, and I’m fuckin’ pissed because she’s probably gonna steal the show from me.” The audience laughed and even Alastor chuckled to himself. “If hot and spicy is your thing, then she’s the queen for you. Give it up for Miss Dasha Cayenne!”

Alastor’s strut onto the runway was timed perfectly to the music. The song was slow and sensual compared to most of the other song choices that night, but Alastor didn’t worry about whether or not the audience would like it as much as the other routines, or if his lip syncing was perfect, or if his choreography would make sense. He just did whatever came naturally to him in the moment, showing them all exactly who Dasha Cayenne was: A sophisticated lady who adored causing trouble. 

And the audience fell in love with her. 

There were wolf whistles as he walked out on stage, whoops whenever he made a suggestive gesture, and laughter whenever he teased the lucky demons he chose to interact with. He got particularly smug when he made Charlie giggle and blush by “singing” directly to her. Finally the music ended, and the audience broke out into very enthusiastic applause. Alastor swore that Angel was cheering the loudest, and even Vaggie seemed impressed. He blew them all a kiss and disappeared backstage. That was when the adrenaline rush fully hit him. He had to sit down, and luckily there was a chair nearby. Despite being in a daze, Alastor thanked the other performers as they congratulated him for his first performance going so well. He couldn’t believe he had just done that. 

“And _where_ has she been hiding this whole time?! I need to know!” 

Alastor looked up and saw Angel standing in front of him. From what he could hear the show was over and everyone had gone back to mingling. He stood up and cleared his throat. “I’m going to assume you liked it?”

“Babe, I _loved_ it! You were so _good!_ ” 

“I must admit, doing that was quite fun! I wouldn’t have considered doing that had I been dressed in my usual clothes, however.”

“Well, ya know what? I’m glad ya went for it! And ya know, this is probably gonna make us closer.”

“Doing drag together?”

“Yeah, think about it. I dressed you up, and you did a lip sync just ‘cause ya could. So we both shared the experience of gettin’ ya out of your comfort zone.” A moment passed before Angel asked the question that he really wanted to know the answer to. “Think you’ll wanna do this again?”

“I’m afraid not, my dear,” Alastor shook his head. “My intention was to only do this once to satisfy my curiosity, after all. And I accomplished exactly that tonight. In fact, I think I now know more about this type of performance art than I would freely admit to.”

“Glad ya stuck with it, though. And I know I said it before, but thanks for humorin’ me.”

“You are quite welcome, my dear. And thank you for doing the same for me.”

“Any time.”

They returned to Angel’s room when the party was over. Angel removed their wigs and taught Alastor how to wash the makeup off. They each took a turn using the shower, following up with some of Angel’s skincare products which he insisted Alastor use as well. Feeling refreshed and ready for bed, they shared one long kiss before saying goodnight.

Alastor found himself reflecting on the day’s events. Now that he had tried it, he wondered why he had been so hesitant to let others see him in drag. Being Dasha Cayenne had made him feel beautiful. And those four minutes on stage had been exhilarating.

Maybe he _would_ do drag again someday.


End file.
